Race and trauma can often be intertwined, particularly for BIPOC clients. And these experiences can leave them feeling disempowered and hopeless. What’s more, for clients with a history of racial trauma, this sense of hopelessness can deepen into depression, especially in a society that often fails to recognize the impact of racism. So how might […]
A Titrated Approach to Help Clients Confront Distressing Emotions
When a client hits a roadblock in therapy, it’s sometimes because they’re actively trying to avoid stirring up (or even talking about) painful memories or emotions. Now of course, it’s understandable why most clients skirt around painful topics to some extent . . . . . . but as we know, it can also become […]
Helping Clients Make Meaning Out of Loss
When a client experiences a significant or sudden loss, it can feel all-consuming . . . . . . especially when they start to sift through the layers of emotion that so often accompany grief. So how might you help a client process those intense emotions, so that they can begin to make meaning out […]
Three Questions to Help Clients Process and Release Regret
When regret takes hold, many clients spiral into self-criticism and self-blame . . . . . . and too often, it becomes a debilitating loop that only deepens their regret. But according to Ron Siegel, PsyD, there are three key questions you might ask to help your client begin to disrupt this cycle and release […]
Pat Ogden, PhD’s Go-To Strategies for Working with Clients who Please & Appease
In the aftermath of trauma, getting to the heart of your client’s pain can be complex – especially when that client is caught in a defense response pattern that trauma researchers often identify as please and appease. For many clients, chronic people-pleasing bleeds into every relationship. . . . . . and when that includes […]
Four Key Components of Confronting a Narcissistic Personality – with Ellyn Bader, PhD
When it comes to confronting a client’s pattern of narcissism or grandiosity, it’s safe to say you might meet with some pushback along the way. So to up your chances of success (and also mitigate the risk of damage to the therapeutic relationship), it can be helpful to pad your treatment plan with a few […]
A Sensorimotor Technique to Guide How and When You Self-Disclose
When it comes to self-disclosure in our clinical work, it can be critical to weigh very carefully just how and when we use it . . . . . . especially in cases where a client relays an experience that bumps up against a painful or overwhelming experience, we may have had ourselves. But according […]
Reporting In – Giving Back in 2023
Giving back is a lesson I learned early in life. I grew up with the notion of tithing – even as a little girl I was encouraged to give 10% of my allowance to the church. Beyond that, my parents also made sure I understood the importance of giving what I could to those in […]
Strategies to Help Clients Who Feel “Never Good Enough” – with Steven Hayes, PhD
Ever notice how some of your most highly skilled, successful clients often find themselves burnt out and unsatisfied?That no matter how much they achieve, feelings of inadequacy leave them believing that they’re just “never good enough”? To help them move out of this belief, one critical first step can be getting them to identify what’s […]
Marsha Linehan, PhD shares 2 Strategies for Disarming a Client’s Anger
When clients struggle to control their anger, it can alienate their family, friends, co-workers, and perhaps even you, as the clinician. So how do you get your client to recognize that their anger is an issue . . . . . . without making them angry at you (and stalling therapeutic progress even further)? In […]